by Lane Hart
"I'll take this down to the GPD and see what I can find out if you'll cover the docket for me in courtroom 2C this morning?" he asks, and I nod. I need something to keep me busy instead of worrying.
"What about Drew? I don't want to leave him…" I can't finish the rest of the sentence.
"Tyler said he's going to get them to send a patrol car out to the neighborhood and keep watch until we know more, just as a precaution. Stay here until he gets here, and tell the babysitter not to open the door for anyone but you."
"I just…I want to know how the hell this happened. And why no one has notified us."
"I don’t know, but I'll call Lacy and ask her to notify her network. Maybe they'll pick the story up and find out what the fuck's going on."
I have a feeling it’s going to be another long day, which is a shame after how perfect it started.
…
Joe
I wait until I leave Katie's to call Lacy.
"Hey, Joe," she answers, sounding half-asleep.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" I ask.
"It's okay, I had to get up and pee again, anyway."
"Sorry, but I need to ask a favor and it's sort of urgent."
"Okay, sure. What's up?" she asks.
"I need you to ask your station to look into a story. They'd be the first to break it and I have a feeling it's going to be huge."
"Awesome. Give me what details you have and I'll make some calls."
"Richard Rakes, an inmate in Central Prison, convicted of kidnapping, rape, and murder about three years ago is quote, unquote missing according to what Tyler could find through the police channels. Two guards, Rake and two other inmates were headed for a medical facility two fucking days ago and none of them or the truck has been seen since. Can you can believe that shit? The prison has kept it quiet and the RPD has helped, putting the public at risk, not to mention the victims and their families. They’re stupidly trying to play it off like they're all dead."
"Holy shit! This could go national!" I hear Lacy static like she's scrambling around on the other end.
"Lacy, don't...you’re supposed to be on bed rest."
"Joe, you know I've been waiting for a story like this. It could set my career for life! I haven't had any more contractions since the other night, and I'll go easy. I won't even be on my feet until the camera is ready to roll."
"Just be careful."
"I will. So will you email me what you have, names, case number, public record docs? Oh, and do you think Rake's victim's family might be willing to make a statement?"
"Doubtful. Lace, you don't know what's at stake here. The victim was Katie's younger sister, Kelly Albright. She went missing for months and then she died the night she went into labor."
"Oh my God! I remember hearing about that story when I was in college. I had no idea that was her sister."
"Yeah, and here's the biggest problem, the baby lived, even though the police and prosecutor let Rakes think he didn't survive. He's three. His name is Drew, and…Katie's been raising him on her own since he was born."
"Jesus!" she exclaims. "I swear, Joe, I will keep both him and her out of this."
"Thanks. The story needs to get out there. Someone might spot one of these guys, because despite what the prison wants to believe, I have a feeling the inmates are alive and well."
"Ooh, we are going to tear the prison and RPD a new one for keeping this quiet for so long. I can't wait!" she exclaims. "Sorry, Joe, I know this has got to be making Katie a nervous wreck. Are her and her little boy going to stay somewhere safe until we know more?"
"As of right now, no, but Tyler is putting a patrol on the house to keep watch."
"That's good, but maybe they should stay with you or someone else."
"I don't know. I'll talk to Katie tonight and see what she wants to do."
"Okay, well I've got work to do. Send me the info and we'll break this shit wide open before noon!"
"Thanks, Lace. Love you."
"I owe you the thanks, Joe, and I love you, too."
In the evidence lab, I go over the details with the technician, give him Rakes information so he could pull his prints to compare to any he finds on the envelope or paper, then talk to Tyler's superior about keeping watch on Katie's house until further notice.
"We've got it covered twenty-four seven, I assure you," Sergeant Simmons tells me.
"Great, I appreciate that."
"Did Tyler tell you that I was the one who arrested this sick son of a bitch?" he asks.
I nod, remembering him mentioning it.
"If you want, and if Katie agrees, I'll have my officer intercept her mail to go through it with gloves from now on, just in case."
"That's a great idea. And I'm sure she'll agree, but I'll ask her and tell her to call or email you with permission."
After I call and give Chad an update on what’s going on, I spend the rest of the morning waiting to hear more from Tyler or even Lacy if she’s able to dig up some dirt. At noon, Katie and I go online to live stream the Charlotte news station.
The story, with breaking news caption, is first up with Lacy reporting from the front of Central Prison's gated entrance. She says prison administrators had been evasive when she tried to interview them, and that the Raleigh Police Department refused to respond to her inquiry. There was however, a press conference to be held at four in the afternoon by the state's Department of Corrections’ officials.
The rest of the day goes from bad to worse. The names of the other two inmates are released. They were both from our district, along with Rakes, and they'd both been prosecuted by Katie, receiving long sentences for being repeat offenders. Unfortunately, one of them also happened to have been my fucking client.
James Brannock is a mean son of a bitch with an assault record a mile long, a few breaking and enterings, and several drug charges. By the time I'd represented him he was a habitual felon, having more than three prior felony convictions from three unrelated incidents. His record put him at the high end of the sentencing chart, and the judge had no choice but to give him the minimum mandatory of two hundred and ten months for his most recent assault on a female inflicting serious injury while he was still on probation for other felonies. Katie really had no part in it other than representing the state.
The third inmate, Stephen Brown, went to trial with Katie prosecuting, and he was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and attempted second degree murder. It had been an easy win for her since the victim was still alive and got on the stand to point a finger at his attacker.
Police officers have also been assigned to patrol the residences and workplaces of the other two recent victims. There aren't enough officers in the county to put one on all of Brannocks's prior victims. They'd been notified and told to be aware of their surroundings, and call if they noticed anything suspicious.
If that news wasn't bad enough, Tyler called around three to tell me that Katie's mail had been sorted and she'd received a letter, this one handwritten and addressed to her with a Raleigh postmark. When he read the one sentence that had been written on the note inside, my blood went cold.
"You'll be dead before anyone hears you scream bitch."
A personal police escort for Katie was on the way, and as soon as he gets here, I’m going to give her the update. I have a feeling I can now convince her to pack up her and Drew's things and stay at my place until these bastards are caught.
"Montgomery?" the man asks from my doorway, interrupting my thoughts.
"Yeah," I say, jumping up from my desk to shake his hand. "I'm Joe."
"I'm Officer Cooke. I've been briefed on the situation, shown the photos of all the men and was told to wear plain clothes as to not to be so obvious."
"Great, thanks. Let's go down to Katie's office, so I can tell her what's going on," I say, and he follows me to her door.
When I knock, she jumps a few inches in her seat. Shit, I hate seeing her so on edge and worr
ied.
"Sorry, Katie Kat," I tell her, pulling her up and into my arms. "Um, this is Officer Cooke and he's going to be staying by your side from now on, or until someone relieves him."
"What?" she asks. "Don't you think that's a little overkill?"
"There was another letter."
"To Drew?"
I shake my head. "No, this one was addressed to you and also had a Raleigh postmark."
"Wh-what'd it say?" she asks hesitantly.
"It was a death threat," I tell her.
She gasps as her eyes go wide and she sinks back down to her chair.
"They're going to catch these guys, especially now that every law enforcement agency in the state and soon the country, will be looking for them," I assure her.
"What'd it say?" she asks.
I sigh, knowing she'd ask, and not wanting to have to tell her the specifics. "It said you'll be dead before anyone hears you scream."
She nods and chews on her bottom lip.
"Katie, I'm sure it's a given, but you don’t go anywhere without an officer. Even the women's room needs to be checked first. You can't take any chances."
She nods again.
"Since they obviously know your address, I'd feel better if you and Drew stayed with me. You think he'd be okay with that?"
"Yeah," she exhales. I notice her body is now shaking. "That's probably best, just to be on the safe side."
"Why don't you call or text Candace and have her start packing up Drew's clothes, some of his favorite toys and books, then we can get your things tonight."
"Okay."
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out to see who it is. Lacy.
"Hey, Lace."
"Turn on CNN. The Wake County Sheriff's Department just found the prison vehicle in Falls Lake. Both guards too, but surprise, surprise, no inmates. I'm going live for them in five!" she exclaims then hangs up.
"Lacy said to turn in to CNN for an update," I tell Katie, and she pulls up the website to stream it on her computer.
Seeing Lacy reporting on a national network is surreal, but she’s cool and calm, and just as gorgeous as ever. Her baby bump is barely noticeable since the camera stays mostly above her shoulders and past her to the lake behind where a large armored truck is being pulled from the water. Law enforcement officers swarm the place. I'm pretty sure some vests say "FBI." Things must be serious if the feds are now involved.
"She looked great," Katie says after they cut to the next story.
"Yeah, she nailed it."
"You guys know that woman?" Cooke asks in awe.
"That's Lacy Pierce, Jim Pierce's daughter," I tell him. "She lives and works in Charlotte with Tyler's friend, Will Reavis."
"It's a shame I was so distracted looking at her that I didn't hear anything that she said," he jokes. "Was it important?"
"Yeah. We better increase the protective measures because those bastards are still alive."
Chapter Twelve
Katie
I watch frozen as a tall, menacing teenage Drew holds a knife to the front of a young girl's neck. The blade digs into her skin while she cries, leaving a trail of blood that runs down the front of her shirt.
"No! Don't do this, Drew!" I beg him.
"Why not? It's going to end the same, whether it's now or later," he says with a sardonic smile that sends chills down my spine.
"It doesn't have to be this way."
"Did you think I wouldn't find out? How I was conceived when my father raped my mother?"
"You're good, just like her," I tell him through tears, but he forces the blade in deeper and slits her throat from one side to the other. There's nothing I can do to stop him or help her when her body goes limp and blood gushes from the wound.
"Katie? Katie, wake up. It's okay," I hear Joe’s voice break through the devastation, so I frantically reach for him in the darkness. His touch has me surfacing back to consciousness. I wake up in an unfamiliar room, then remember I’m at Joe's. Drew and I are staying with him while three men who want me dead are still on the loose.
Joe's arms wrap around me and I hold onto him just as tightly. Chad quietly snuggles up behind me. Being sandwiched between the two wonderful men makes me feel a little better, but even they can’t prevent the constant state of fear I’ve been in all day. I think it’s getting worse.
"I'm scared," I say against Joe’s chest.
"Me, too," he admits, and Chad mumbles his concurrence, “Me, three.” That makes me feel a little better. If they’re concerned then at least I’m not overreacting.
There are two police officers inside the house with us and a patrol car with two more that’s stationed overnight in the neighborhood. I jump at every little noise, and it feels like my heart might race out of my chest. Nothing is in our control now. We’ll just have to pray that they catch these men, and do it soon before we all go crazy.
…
The next few days go by without any further threats or updates, as Drew and I get more comfortable at Joe's with him and Chad. DA Caldwell took me out of work, telling me to stay home with Joe. I think he just didn't want to put the courthouse at risk. But no one has reported seeing the three criminals, and everyone even relaxed a little by the next weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, Drew had cabin fever after being sequestered with me, Joe, and Chad for almost a week, so we decided to take him to the Children's Museum. In the real life vehicle exhibit he went running excitedly from one to the next, and loved the fire truck. But nothing was as fun for him as the train with four railroad cars. Kids ran in and out, taking turns blowing the whistle in the front car. They even had pretend luggage to take aboard.
"Something's wrong," Joe says when his phone beeps. "Peterson just texted to stay where we are and stay alert." Peterson’s on personal security duty with us today since Cooke is off. Being in a place with so many children and families gave us a false sense of security. We should've known that criminals didn't have the same sort of morals as the rest of us.
My heart starts pounding with nervousness as I look for Drew to call him back over to us. I hadn't found him when gunshots sound from the front of the building, followed by screams.
"Oh God," I mutter, running to the train cars to grab Drew. He isn't in the second one where I'd last seen him through the window. I look in each car and he isn't on any of them. "Joe! I can't find Drew!" I yell as the rest of the crowded place erupts in chaos. Parents are grabbing their children and running toward the back exit like we’re all in some sort of danger, and I can't find my own little boy!
"Drew?" I scream his name as I start for the next exhibit and motion for Joe and Chad to spread out in the other direction to search for him. A few minutes later, heavy arms are wrapped around me from behind, carrying me off to a secluded corner as I fight kicking and screaming.
"Shh. Ms. Albright, it's okay. I'm Officer Bailey," the voice of the man holding me says, then a badge is flashed in front of my face for inspection.
"Let me go, I've got to find Drew!" I yell at him, still trying to break his hold.
"Officers are looking for him. It's not safe for you out in the open. The suspects have been spotted in the parking lot."
"Oh, God, no." This can't be happening. I hadn't taken my eyes off of Drew for two seconds. Only when Joe said something was wrong, I looked away for two freaking seconds!
I hyperventilate while I’m held hostage in the corner. The museum empties out until there are only men in uniform making rounds, talking on their shoulder radios. Finally the officer holding me lets go and I run to the others to ask if they found Drew. They all give me vague non-answers. I keep searching for someone to tell me what the hell is going on. I find Joe and Chad talking to another group of officers, saying something about video surveillance.
"Joe?" I ask, and as soon as he sees me, he sweeps me into a crushing hug.
"We're going to find him, Katie. The Amber alert has already gone out," he says into my hair. Amber alert? Oh no…t
hat means…
"He's gone?" I ask in a sob. "He's going to be…terrified. What if…what if they hurt him?"
Of course, they’ll hurt him. They’re evil, heartless criminals! We have to find him, before it's too late.
Chapter Thirteen
Joe
I’m frantic and freaking the fuck out on the inside but trying to act calm and optimistic for Katie. She’s falling apart and there’s nothing I can do. The police are reviewing the video surveillance, and officers have set up traffic stops on every road that can be taken from the museum.
Katie doesn't even know that Peterson was shot, but luckily it looks like his injuries are non-life threatening. They took him to the hospital and the museum has now become an official crime scene.
I'd given Drew's description and what he'd been wearing, so they could get the Amber alert out. Every television, radio, and cell phone in the state had been alerted within minutes. With his red hair, he should be easy for someone to recognize.
I tell myself that since Rakes is his biological father, he won't hurt him. I pray I’m right. We just need to find Rakes and then we'll get Drew back.
The museum video showed that a normally dressed man in a baseball hat, otherwise fitting Rakes description, originally came in with a family before splitting off on his own. When Drew walked past Rakes, he stopped him, and said something. Rakes’s mouth moved liked he said, "Dad" to Drew and then took his hand, leaving out the back exit and left out the back with him. The bastard even pulled out a baseball hat and put it on Drew's head before they left the building, effectively shielding his noticeable red hair.
The camera footage from the front of the parking lot showed the other two men in a black Honda. Their apparent distraction, having a standoff with Officer Peterson, ended in shots being fired from probably Brown, and crossfire from Peterson before Brown and Brannock sped away, probably getting out of the area before the roadblocks were set up.
Lacy and Will show up shortly after that, having received the Amber alert and my text that Rakes is the culprit. There’s no more reason to keep the fact that Drew is his son out of the media. It’s easy to put together with Drew's birth certificate showing he was born the day of Rakes's arrest, and he has the same last name and red hair as Kelly.